Jonathan



1. 0. FOWLER.-

SEA'LED, SAFETY, FOUNTAIN INKSTAND.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.l0.19l4.

1,303,468. Patented May13,1919.

INVENTOR JONATHAN O. FOWLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SEALED, SAFETY, FOUNTAIN-INKSTAND.

Specification of Let ersI'atent.

Patented May 13, 1919.

Application filed November 10, 1914. Serial No. 871,238.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JONATHAN O. FOWLER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Sealed, Safety, Fountainlnkstand, of which the following is a specification, the same being a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to closures for receptacles adapted to hold liquids, and in particular to a closure means therefor that may be readily applied to vessels containing fluids and which, when inserted in the mouth thereof, or securely placed over the well thereof, will effectually preclude any of the contents of the same from being spilled in case the container is accidentally overturned, and which will prevent evaporation of the liquid and will also continuously supply the fluid at the top of the closure as it may be desired for use. While, owing to the peculiar construction of my invention, the container may be quickly refilled at any time required, yet by the employment of the same the receptacle may also be just as readily hermetically sealed, as for purposes of transportation or storage for long periods of time, and it may be equally readily unsealed again and quickly placed in an operative condition and ready for immediate use.

The device is easy of operation and efficient in action, while the simplicity of the same and the durability of the parts render it of low cost and of long life. The invention will be more particularly described with reference to one embodiment thereof which is comprised in the preferred use of the same, as, in the present instance, in connec tion with inkstands, as shown in the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification.

Broadly stated my invention consists of a container having a neck, a diaphragm made of elasticmaterial positioned above and extending across the neck, and a dip-cup supported by the diaphragm.

I also employ a closure means for the con tainer comprising a device having a lower apertured portion extending across said neck and also having vertically disposed means for attachment to thesaid neck, said closure means further comprising a housing reduced in width at the top thereof and having a central orifice for the entrance of the pen and located entirely above the diaphragm. A

The two parts of the. said closure may also have engaging means whereby the periphery of the diaphragm may be pressed downwardly to form a liquid tight seal exterior of the opening of the neck, whereby the depression of the dip-cup by the pen will compress the air within the container and so force the ink up through the bore of the dip-cup to the mouth thereof.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, Figure 1 represents a view in section of an article constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2 is a, sectional view of the upper portion of another structure in which the invention is embodied; and Fig. 3 is a view in detail of an other form of diaphragm which may be used at will.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the views.

Referring particularly to the drawings, A denotes an inkstand or container of the style that is provided-with a neck. F denotes one type of my preferably elastic attachment support which device forms the lower part of myclosure means and is adapted both to lie upon the top of an inkstand and is entered into or otherwise engaged with the neck thereof and formed with a threaded rim j. At or near the outer part of the attachment device, and mounted and extending entirely across the said neck, is prefer ably placed a practically horizontal dia phragm E which is preferably made of elas" tic material as sheet rubber and formed with a central orifice, or it may consists of other flexible material as a concentrically corrugated metal disk, as E in Fig. 3. The attachment device is engaged with the container neck and projects over and exerts a pressure n on the periphery of the diaphragm. dj acent to the diaphragm I place a structurally independent ring or washer J, the central part of which washer preferably inclines upwardly around the opening thereof and terminates in an elastic ledge j, which washer serves to support a spring D to partially relieve the diaphragm from the tension of the spring. This spring is intermediate the center of the washer and the I V the edge of the down-turned attachment F flange C of a dip-cup C and holds the dipcup C and diaphragm E engaged with the said cup in proper operativeposition.

The said dip-cup C is'formed with a bore '0 and a tapered extremity C and an enlargement a, and an elastic ring K maybe engaged with the same. The ring K, whlch may form a valve to prevent the ink from contacting with the diaphragm, preferably projects far enough beyond the enlargement c to rest upon or against the seat formed by part 7 of the although with a little pressure the ring may be forced through the said seat when this operation may be required for purposes of refilling the container. The attachment. F prefer-ably has packing G interposed between the same and the neck of the inkstand.

I also provide a' housing B which forms the-upper part of my closure means, which incloses the diaphragm, dip-cup, washer and spring, which housing is made with a thread '6 to engage with and work in the threaded rim fof the attachment device. The bore 0 atthe tapered extremity C of the dip-cup may be hermetically closed by a seal H during shipment of the container. B is referably formed with a down-turned rim 2 around the orifice L at the top of the same and the threaded lower part bof the said housing comprises means engaging with portion f of the attachment device to exert a downward pressure upon the periphery of the diaphragm to form a liquid tight seal exterior of the neck of the container, the stress being exerted between the lowest part The housing of the housing and the neck contact portion "of the attachment device.

-E and ring K may vent deterioration of the spring D, washer J and ring K may be dispensed with, as the other'elements of the structure will work in. an operative manner. In cases where a seal H is used, the seal may be readily broken by pushing a hat pin through the bore of the dip-cup.

My devlce is a safety structure, inasmuch as should the container become overturned by accident when unsealed, no ink can escape therefrom as no air can enter the same except through the small bore of the dip-cup,

the same. If desired,

011 which account there will be practically no evaporation of the ink. \Vhcn the dipcup is depressed, just the right amount of ink covers the pen on account of the automatic 0r fountain property of the device, and the article will be very durable as the working parts of the same are of simple construction and are at all times protected from v the action of the fluid held by the container.

I wish it to be understood-that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a deviceof the class described, a container having a neck, a horizontally disposed diaphragm mounted upon and extending entirely across said neck, a dip-cup having a flange at its upper portion, an apertured washer mounted adjacent the diaphragm, a spring intermediate the central portion of the washer and the flange of the dip-cup, said washer supporting said spring to partly relieve the diaphragm from the tension of the spring, a housing to inclose the diaphragm, dip-cup, washer and spring, and a threaded attachment positioned 011 and ex tending over the container neck to engage the housing.

2. In a device of the class described, a container having a neck, a diaphragm which is positioned in a practically horizontal plane and is located above the neck and extends across the latter, a dip-cup supported by the diaphragm, an apertured housing superimposed on the diaphragm and having engaging means at the lower part thereof, an apertured attachment device lying over and extending across the neck and having vertically disposed means to contact with the latter, said device also having engaging means to co-act with the engaging means of the housing, the said two engaging means being located above and exterior of the opening of the neck, whereby the periphery of the diaphragm may be pressed downwardly to form a liquid tight seal exterior of the opening of the said neck, the stress being exerted on the periphery of the diaphragm between the lowest part of the housing and the neck contact portion of the attachment device.

3. In a device of the class described, a container having a well, a diaphragm positioned above and extending across the well, a dip-cup supported by the diaphragm, and a closure means comprising a device having a lower apertured portion extending across said well and also having means for attachment to the said container, said closure means further comprising a housing reduced in width at the top thereof and located entirely above the diaphragm, said closure means also having engaging means whereby of New York, county and State of New the periphery of the diaphragm may be York, this 2nd. day of May, 1914.

pressed downwardly to form a liquid-tight JONATHAN O. FOWLER. seal exterior of the o ening of the well. Witnesses:

5 In testimony of t e foregoing speeifica- BOB. SGHWARZ, tion I do hereby sign the same in the city B. F. HOARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained in: five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Wuhington, D. 0." 

